Son of a Witch (Wicked Years #2) by Gregory MaGuire

Title: Son of a Witch
Author: Gregory MaGuire
Published: October 2006 by Regan Books
Pages: 337
ISBN: 9780060747220
Source: personal copy

Description:  Ten years after the publication of Wicked, beloved novelist Gregory Maguire returns at last to the land of Oz. There he introduces us to Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended to at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts. What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba’s son? He has her broom and her cape—but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard’s departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?

I Give This Book 3 Stars!

I will admit that I was not an instant fan of Wicked.  It took the second reading for me to be fully engaged in it and not completely confused.  Maybe that’s the case here as well.  Nothing about this book felt similar to the first.  It was even more confusing.  The characters don’t feel the same nor does the land of OZ (but then there is no Wizard…).   The first half to 2/3 of the book drag on.  All the action occurs in the end, and then it’s over.  I didn’t particularly like Liir.  He was a wishy-washy character, and never firmly stood his ground on anything.  In the end, he seemed to develop some character.  But, it was too little too late.  I will probably read the latest in the series A Lion Among Men, but only because the library has it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!  Hope you have a wonderful Holiday!!

Literary Classics Challenge

I have to admit that I am not well read in Literary Classics.  I more of a modern book kind of gal.  But, I though this challenge might be good for me.  Let’s just say it was an eye opener   Here is what I read…

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Pride and Prejudice was by far my favorite.  Oliver Twist and The Three Musketeers were worthy reads as well.  The Scarlett Letter was just ok.  Wuthering Heights…I just don’t know.   I didn’t like it, but feel maybe sometime in the future I may have to read it again.

Specials (Uglies #3) by Scott Westerfeld

 

Title: Specials
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Published: April 2006 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 372
ISBN: 9780689865404 

Description:  “Special Circumstances”:
The words have sent chills down Tally’s spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor — frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally’s never been ordinary.
And now she’s been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.
The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.
Still, it’s easy to tune that out — until Tally’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same. 

I Give This Book 3.5 Stars! 

I’ve really enjoyed this series so far.  But, something happened with Specials.  The story felt very thrown together at times.  The time line was strange.  Sometimes a chapter would cover hours and other times it would cover weeks.  It lacked the intensity the first two books had.  The characters didn’t feel the same, and at times it felt like the didn’t behave the same as they would have previously.  I didn’t really get the ending either.  Very disappointing to a series I was really enjoying.  I will read Extras, but only because it’s the last one and I don’t want to be left hanging.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Title: The Dark Divine
Author: Bree Despain
Published: Dec. 2009 by Egmont USA
Pages: 375
ISBN: 9781606840573

Description: Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared–the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood–but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.
The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude’s high school. Despite promising Jude she’ll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel’s shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.
The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy’s dark secret…and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it–her soul.

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

There’s a lot of buzz about this book and for good reason!  It fits right into the popular subject in teen fiction these days.  But, it had more substance that a lot of books I’ve read.  I really identified with Grace for some reason (and I think a lot of readers will).  I liked her family dynamics.  And Daniel was that elusive “bad” boy we love reading about.   Maybe I wasn’t reading the signs correctly, but for once I had a hard time figuring out the twists, and I loved that.   I kept reading way past when I should have gone to bed because I had to know what happened next.  Wonderful new book by a promising new author!!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

First, off this is hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog.  If you want to participate, head over and join in the fun!

Read Last Week:

• The Fury by L.J. Smith
• Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith
• Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
• The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Currently Reading:

• The Queen’s Mistake by Diane Haeger

Plan To Read This Week:

• Alice in Rapture, Sort of by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (my last book for my challenges this year)
• The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
• Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes